“Getting treatment on the MCU at Active Health Center was a great experience.” – Aleksy
Multi-Cervical Unit strengthens muscles after measuring where they’re weak.
Life in Poland during the 1990s was tough, even for a recent college graduate such as Aleksy*. Despite the fall of communism in the country at the end of the previous decade, prices for common goods remained high and job prospects were grim.
“Even if you did find work, the money wasn’t good,” Aleksy explains. “It was a crazy time back then, going through the transition out of communism. I eventually came to realize that if I wanted a better life, I had no choice but to leave.”
Aleksy, now 49, did just that shortly before the turn of the century, leaving his native land for the country he grew to love while listening to its music and watching its movies, which arrived in Poland amid the wave of capitalism.
“I grew up with American movies and music and always dreamed of going to America,” Aleksy says. “Now I am an American, and I am a very patriotic person. I love my country because I love my freedom.”
With a computer programming degree inside his backpack, Aleksy first settled in Chicago, where he lived for nine years. He then moved to Florida because he considers himself a “water person.” He hasn’t always been able to enjoy his freedom, though.
Midway through last year, Aleksy’s ability to work and play freely became greatly compromised by aggravating neck pain and occasional bouts of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Both ailments were brought on, he believes, by his work habits.
“I’m a computer programmer. I sit a lot, and because of that I started to get these little neck pains,” Aleksy explains. “They weren’t too bad at first, but after COVID hit and I was spending even more time sitting, the problems intensified.
“I had been doing some bodybuilding before that and was training a lot when I was forced to stop because the pain got so bad. It started to affect everything I did, whether I was working, watching TV or playing a computer game.
“As for the tinnitus, it was very strange. It would go from one ear to the other, and the intensity was always different. I know tinnitus is usually associated with hearing loss, but I was pretty certain that mine had nothing to do with hearing loss.”
Aleksy began researching his symptoms, which intensified last summer after he contracted COVID-19. Upon learning he was possibly suffering from damage to the vagus nerve in his neck, he sought help from a chiropractor.
The chiropractic care Aleksy received provided some relief but not the degree he needed to feel completely comfortable. As a result, his chiropractor suggested he visit Marc A. Weinberg, DC, at Active Health Center.
“When I first met with Dr. Weinberg, he immediately recognized a lot of the problems I was dealing with,” Aleksy shares. “Right away, he recommended treatment on the MCU.”
Exclusive Access
A technologically advanced nonsurgical device that is exclusive to Active Health Center in South Florida, the Multi-Cervical Unit, or MCU, is an instrument that not only assesses the strength of neck muscles, but also isolates and strengthens those muscles.
A tool in what doctors refer to as evidence-based medicine, the MCU records 16 ranges of muscle movement for strength to determine the areas of the neck where there are weaknesses, imbalances or a loss in range of motion.
Once that data is collected, a program is designed that allows the MCU to correct the problems. As such, the MCU is considered the most effective, efficient system for assessment and rehabilitation of the neck.
Studies show that following MCU therapy, paitent pain levels decrease by 66 percent while strength levels increase more than 70 percent, with more than 90 percent of patients making a full recovery, according to Active Health Center.
An MCU session lasts 20 to 30 minutes, with patients going through three sessions a week for nine weeks. During that period, patients are retested at least three times to determine the effectiveness of the treatments.
“We retest the patient every nine visits and compare the results of those tests with the results we received from our original examination,” notes Colin O. Behrue, DC, at Active Health Center. “That shows us how well the patient is progressing. Based on those findings, we make clinical changes that help the patient continue to improve and build strength.”
Passing the Test
By the time Aleksy began receiving treatment on the MCU, he had also resumed a personal workout regimen that included weightlifting. That’s why he was surprised by the results of his initial MCU evaluation.
“I’m a pretty strong guy, but my neck muscles were really weak,” Aleksy reports. “That surprised me quite a bit, but after about three weeks I was already starting to feel the effects of the MCU treatments. My tinnitus started to get better, too.
“I knew I had made the right decision going to Active Health Center, but that was confirmed when I took my first test after starting the treatment. They told me they rarely see progress like that after the first test. I pretty much blew it out of the water.”
Aleksy says he has continued to regain strength in his neck muscles despite taking a brief respite from the treatment to visit friends and family in Poland. He’s now participating in a home maintenance program designed to keep his neck strong and pain-free.
“Getting treatment on the MCU was a great experience,” Aleksy enthuses. “I’m very grateful the MCU exists and that there’s a place near me where I can get treated with it.
“And the staff at Active Health Center is great. Everyone is so nice. From the receptionist to all the people who helped me with the treatments. I really enjoyed my visits there, and I gladly recommend them to anyone.”
Cottage Industry
Shortly after retiring from the position she long held with Bank of America a few years ago, Lisa Gendal went in search of a new purpose in life. She found it at an animal sanctuary in Jupiter Farms called The Pet Cottage.
Thanks to MCU treatments and her commitment to the home care program, Lisa’s neck pain is now a thing of the past.
“I’m the secretary-treasurer of The Pet Cottage, and our mission is pretty unique,” Lisa shares. “We’re a nonprofit organization and what we do is provide home-style care for pets who lose their humans due to death, disability or deployment.
“If someone dies and did not make arrangements for their pet, we’ll find a home for that pet. We do the same for people who go into assisted living or nursing homes or can no longer care for their pets and for military personnel who have been deployed.
“We also have a guardianship program where we’ll place a pet in the home of a senior that wants a pet. At the same time, we remain responsible for health care costs for the animal, so it’s a win-win for the pet and the person.”
Lisa, 63, says The Pet Cottage gives her “a reason to get up every morning.” Thankfully, she’s now doing that in comfort. For years, her morning routine and portions of her day and night were disrupted by aggravating neck pain.
Brought on in part by her job at the bank, where she sat at a desk and stared at a computer most of the day, Lisa’s neck pain became a problem about eight or 10 years ago.
“When I first went to see someone about it, I was diagnosed with something called sitting down syndrome,” Lisa relates. “After that, I started to do everything I could think of at work to make things easier for me.
“I got the ergonomic chair and made sure the computer was in the right place. I also started to get traditional chiropractic care, but I was still feeling pain on and off, which was how it always was. It was always an on-and-off thing.”
The fact that her pain came and went was one reason Lisa didn’t seek further medical attention. The degree of pain she dealt with was another. Although quite aggravating, her pain never became debilitating.
“There were times when the pain was excruciating, but it never really kept me from doing anything,” Lisa confirms. “If anything, it kept me from doing too much. At the gym, for instance, I would avoid lifting more weight because I didn’t know what it would do.
“On those occasions when the pain did get really bad, I iced my neck a lot. I also used some topical treatments, things like CBD oil, which would help for a while, but the pain always came back.”
Frustrated with the recurrence of her pain, Lisa decided in September to visit a different chiropractor. Based on the recommendation of a friend, Lisa chose Dr. Weinberg.
As part of his initial examination of Lisa, Dr. Weinberg ordered a new set of x-rays of her neck. Those images revealed the cause of Lisa’s pain and allowed for Dr. Weinberg to develop a treatment plan.
“The x-rays showed that there was diminished room between my vertebrae,” Lisa reports. “Based on that, Dr. Weinberg suggested I try the MCU machine, and he encouraged me to go to his website and check out the information they have on it.
“I went to Active Health Center because I was looking to try something different, and I could see right away that this was something different. After learning more about it, I felt it could only help and not hurt so I figured, Why not give it a try?”
Lisa began receiving treatment on the MCU in October. From the beginning, she was intrigued with how the MCU measures the strength of the neck muscles and allows patients to keep track of their progress while strengthening those muscles.
“You get a printout when you start out that shows you where your neck is weak, and that serves as your base,” she says. “I have that test and the second and third, and you can actually see where I made progress and how much progress I made.”
Lasting Positive Effects
Seeing is believing, but feel is the best gauge of how well the MCU works. In Lisa’s case, her printouts showed she was making improvement. But it wasn’t until she had nearly completed the regimen that she actually felt the impact.
“I was going along for a while and getting the treatments, and I could tell I was getting a little better,” Lisa relays. “Then one day, it was like a light all of a sudden went on and just like that I felt 90 percent better.
“Dr. Weinberg said that’s how it usually works. It was only about two weeks later that I completed the treatments, and now I’m feeling really good. I was told the positive effects of MCU treatments can last decades, and I’m hoping that’s what happens.”
Since completing her treatments on the MCU, Lisa has been following the home maintenance plan provided by Dr. Weinberg and the team at Active Health Center. The plan is designed to help Lisa get the most out of the treatments.
“I think a lot of people might fail to recognize that home care is a big part of this,” Lisa contends. “That’s why I’m much more cognizant of it. I’ve learned over the years how some light stretching in the morning can make your day a lot easier, and it’s the same with this.”
Lisa’s neck pain is now a thing of the past, and she no longer spends time applying ice or topical treatments to her neck for relief.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with the improvement, and so very happy that I made the decision to try something different and went to see Dr. Weinberg,” she says. “The whole practice is run extremely well, and I gladly refer them to anyone with neck issues.”
